


Send My Love (To Your New Lover)

by reppinda5o3



Series: 25 (An Adele Songfic Series) [1]
Category: The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: College, Engagement, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Cheating, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 09:21:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18808285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reppinda5o3/pseuds/reppinda5o3
Summary: Jace and Clary met in college. They started out as friends which eventually turned into friends with benefits until one of them decided they wanted more. But sometimes more turns out to be too much for anyone to handle. Mistakes are made and some things you can never get back. Then again, some things are worth fighting for. Part 1 of 3I don’t own the characters, just the content.Cross Post from FanFiction.netThere is a Spotify playlist for this series at https:/ /open.spotify.com/user/1235861650/playlist/11pzLPQKBJ6BiTw8zkcWXM?si=Luh-d3jpQymFNhWygsx5xA





	1. The End Of The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Story Song:
> 
> *Adele - Send My Love (To Your New Lover)*
> 
> Chapter Songs:
> 
> *Hailee Steinfield, Grey, Zedd - Starving*
> 
> *Ruth B - Lost Boy*

Jace could hear a pounding on his door and through the haze that was the leftover hangover from the alcohol, he dreaded the conversation that was about to happen when the person behind it entered. He'd done a lot of stupid shit in his life and just hoped this wasn't one of them. He had enough regrets to deal with and he didn't need another eating away at him. He knew the interaction was inevitable so he got up to unlock the door and then went back to his bed as the Fireball that entered closed it behind her. Before he could ever say anything, she began talking, in a much calmer voice than he would have expected.

"KK just told me she saw you in your room with some girl riding you last night. Some girl that has been apparently hitting on you all semester that you didn't bother to tell me about."

"I didn't see how it was important. I was with you and told you that you were the only one I'd ever want."

"Well, obviously everything you've ever said to me was complete bullshit. I thought we were on the same page. I thought we were it for each other. But then I had to find out from my best friend that you fucked a random girl at a party that I couldn't go to because I was doing the last 8 hours of my internship? You didn't have to pretend with me Jace, I've already been sleeping with you for the past two years. If you wanted to stay fuck buddies, I was fine with that. You were the one who wanted more. I even gave you an out."

Jace felt like he should say something. He knew she was right. But he didn't know how to tell her he wasn't pretending, that everything he told her wasn't a lie. He just wasn't ready for this right now. He felt like he should feel guilty. He did feel guilty but he couldn't show it because this was getting him exactly what he wanted, which was out. What Sebastian said rung too true. He was too young to be thinking about spending the rest of his life tied down to the same girl. Maybe in 10 or so years but certainly not at 21 years old. He shouldn't be thinking about rings and houses and kids. He should be thinking about parties and girls and his friends. Plus by cheating now, he was protecting her from the hundreds of times he would be a disappointment to her later, just like his Dad was to his Mom. Jace pushed the guilt down and pulled his eyes from the floor. He looked at her, really looked at her. She didn't look broken like he thought she would and he wasn't sure if that made him happy or devastated. Jace thought back on everything he had shared with Clary in the time he'd known her…

Flashback

They'd met at the beginning of their Junior year of college in Advanced Chem when they were assigned to be lab partners. At first, Jace didn't think much of her. She was dressed in clothes that hid her body, her hair was up in a messy bun and she was wearing protective goggles. He did notice her piercing green eyes and the incredibly rich red color of her hair. A few days of working together and Jace realized how easy it was to talk to and laugh with her and they began hanging out outside class. They got coffee every morning, ate lunch together, Clary even went to Jace's soccer games. It was after one of their games that a party was held in Jace's frat house. He invited Clary to come and instead of showing up in a baggy hoodie, jeans and dirty chucks, like he was used to seeing her in everyday, she showed up wearing a tight, black, mid-thigh length leather skirt and a green corset tank top with knee high black boots. Her eyes were outlined in kohl and her lips were painted a crimson color. Jace couldn't keep his eyes off of her and she repeatedly asked him what he was staring at. As the alcohol continued to flow, it got increasingly harder for him to make stuff up to tell her so he just told her the truth, that he was staring at her because she looked incredibly sexy. She blushed at that and changed the subject. The drinking continued and Jace got a little more bold with his hands as the night went on. By the time the party was coming to an end, Clary and Jace had fallen into bed together.

The next morning, or rather afternoon, Jace woke up in his bed alone, the mind-blowing sex he had the night before slowly coming back to him. Jace wasn't the kind of guy to have sex with the same girl twice, he usually slept with a girl, kicked them out immediately after and then forgot about them but something in him wanted more from Clary. Now he wasn't ready to settle down and become a one woman man all of the sudden, he'd seen his Mom hurt way too many times by his Dad to get mixed up in all that nonsense but something in him was still disturbed to find his bed empty. He knew he had to have more of Clary, enough so that he had a proposition for her and if she wouldn't agree to Jace's proposition, he would do whatever he had to in order to convince her. Jace took a shower and got dressed with lightning speed and made his way to the dining hall. Clary was sitting at a table, back to her black hoodie and chucks, with a tall man with spiky black and blue hair and a girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes who was beautiful but definitely not who he was there to see. He briefly wondered if the guy could be Clary's boyfriend but then decided he didn't care either way and walked over to her.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said just before kissing her on the cheek. Clary blushed and looked at the tall man beside her as if she needed help.

"Good morning, Jace."

"I thought maybe you might want to grab some coffee with me?"

"Uhhhh..." Clary said looking back and forth between Kaelie and Magnus quickly.

"Go Biscuit, KK and I can spare Golden boy here a half hour with you."

Jace pulled Clary up out of her seat quickly and they hurried to the coffee shop. After they both had their drinks, both sharing a love of Americanos, they sat down at a table far away from the other students frequenting the shop and Jace began to lay down his proposal for Clary. At first she didn't want to talk about the night they shared together, calling it a mistake and wanting them to just go back to being friends but Jace explained that now that he'd had her, he knew he wouldn't be able to get enough. She was still skeptical that it would work out, she'd never had this type of friendship before, but Jace assured her that it would be just like before but they would add non-exclusive sex to the mix. It took a few days of spontaneous makeout sessions from Jace and some thinking on Clary's part before she finally agreed to the arrangement.

It took almost a year of Clary and Jace fooling around and them both continuing to do their own thing on the side before he ran into her on a date with Michael, the captain of the basketball team and had a nuclear meltdown that resulted in him essentially calling Clary a slut and Michael leaving with a black eye and a bloody nose. It was then that Jace admitted to himself that he wanted to be more than friends with benefits. After his subsequent beating of her date and his harsh words, Clary avoided Jace for days. She didn't even show up to the class they shared together. He knew he needed to apologize but had no idea how he'd do that if he couldn't find her. He looked for her in all the usual places they met up, even checking with KK and Mags as he came upon them around campus to see if they'd seen her which was strange in itself since they didn't associate with each other's friends as an unspoken rule of their agreement. If the two thought it was odd, they thankfully didn't mention it but it didn't help Jace get any closer to finding her.

Jace eventually found her in the library, a place he rarely visited and swore he would cause a scene unless she came to get coffee and talked to him. Clary agreed to leave the library with him and go get coffee. After they settled at a table, Jace apologized for the hurtful words he said to Clary. In all the time they'd been hooking up, he'd never actually seen her out with another guy and he couldn't handle it. For the first time in his life, he wanted to be exclusive. She responded by telling him that he would have to earn her trust because she didn't think he knew what a real relationship was and he promised he would try harder at it than he'd ever tried at anything in his life.

Over the next year, Jace and Clary became inseparable. Clary was introduced to the soccer team and met Jace's best friend Sebastian. Jace became a part of Clary's group of friends. He introduced Clary to his sister, Izzy and she became one of Clary's best friends along with KK and Mags. Jace's brother Alec even started dating Magnus. Just after 6 months into their actual relationship, Jace told Clary he loved her and they made love for the first time. It was slow and tender and nothing like anything either of them had experienced before. After that, Jace rarely slept at the frat house and when he did, Clary was there with him. He spent less and less time with the soccer team, only seeing Sebastian every once in awhile unless at practice or a game. Jace and Clary had talked about moving in together after they graduated and getting a puppy. For their 1 year anniversary, Jace took Clary to one of the nicest restaurants in LA and they ate dinner, Jace looking nervous the whole time. When the meal was over, they piled in his truck and Jace took her to a hill away from all the lights. He pulled out a telescope from underneath a blanket in the back of his vehicle and set it up so they could look at the stars. When Clary put her eye up to the telescope, Jace got down on one knee and when she looked back over, she gasped. Jace was holding a velvet box and was looking at her with eyes shining.

"When I met you, I had no idea you would change my life. I had a horrible example of what love was like between two people and was convinced that I could only offer the same things. I know the way this relationship started was unconventional but I'm telling you now, just like I hope to tell you for the rest of my life...You're it for me. You burn brighter in my heart than all the stars in the sky. I love you with everything I am and I can't imagine a single day without you. Would you do me the extraordinary honor of marrying me?"

"Of course I'll marry you, Jace. If you're sure this is really what you want."

"I've never wanted anything more in my entire life," he said with conviction.

"Then yes, I'll marry you because I want you more than I've ever wanted anything in my entire life as well." Jace slipped the white gold braided princess cut diamond engagement ring on her finger and they made love in the back of Jace's truck under the stars.

Jace's mind flashed to the conversation he had with Sebastian the next day when he went to go tell him he the good news about his engagement.

"You what? Why the fuck would you do that?"

"What do you mean 'why would I do that'. I love her, man."

"Jace, listen to me. You're 22. A little over a year ago, you were fucking everything that had a pair of tits and moved. Now 1 year later, this bitch has you wrapped around her little finger and somehow got you to propose to her?"

"She didn't get me to do anything, Bash. I asked her because I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

"No Jace, you think you do. Like I said, you're 22. You have your whole life ahead of you for settling down. What you should be doing right now is hanging with your boys and getting as much pussy as possible. She's got you so whipped, we barely see you anymore. Come to the party tonight and me and the guys will make sure you have a good time."

"I'm not whipped, Bash. And fuck you. You're my best friend, you're supposed to be happy for me," Jace said, trying not to let on that Sebastian's words had gotten to him.

"Whatever man, I'll see you at the party."

End Flashback

And that was the beginning of the end. Jace was jolted back into the present by Clary's next words.

"If you didn't want this, all you had to do was tell me and it would have been done."

"I don't want this."

"That became apparent the moment you couldn't keep your dick in your pants long enough to end it properly." Clary furrowed her eyebrows and crossed her arms across her chest, almost like she was protecting her heart from falling out. "Thanks for letting me go before I wasted any more time loving someone who obviously never loved me back. Make sure you treat the next one better," she said with one last look before taking off her ring, laying it on the table and turning to walk out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a Spotify playlist for this series at https:/ /open.spotify.com/user/1235861650/playlist/11pzLPQKBJ6BiTw8zkcWXM?si=Luh-d3jpQymFNhWygsx5xA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story Song:
> 
> *Adele - Send My Love (To Your New Lover)*
> 
> Chapter Songs:
> 
> *Nicki Minaj - Grand Piano*
> 
> *Sia - Cheap Thrills*

Jace couldn't believe she just left. Just walked out the door. He'd expected a fight. More yelling, more screaming, more drama. After all, she was his little Fireball but as he thought about it, she'd always seemed a little detached from their relationship. He knew how she felt about him; He'd seen it in her eyes when she looked at him, felt it in the way she touched him but it was almost like she was holding back a piece of herself that she wasn't ready or able to give up. In all the time they'd been together, she'd never actually said the 3 words that he'd waited 6 months to hear from her. Not until she was taking off the symbol that showed how much he loved her had she ever even hinted at the words. Selfishly, he felt hurt even considering what he'd just done to her but he was also happy she hadn't laid herself bare for him to destroy. She looked hurt yet strong as she walked away from him. He admired the fact that she held her head high even when she felt humiliated.

Jace glanced at the ring and debated going after her, like he usually did after they'd had a fight and Clary left, needing time to cool off. They were both stubborn as hell but Jace, who stayed mad for a significantly shorter period of time, was always ready to put the argument behind them in favor of makeup sex. Jace had to remember that he'd done this to them on purpose. He wanted to be free to do whatever he pleased. He'd already used up a year of his life, in college no less, only fucking the same girl and he needed to make up for lost time. But first he needed to rest. All the sudden it felt like all his energy had been drained.

He spent almost all day in bed, trying to sleep but mostly thinking about whether what he was doing was the right thing. He understood where Sebastian was coming from and he knew he was just looking out for him but even though he thought Bash might be right, he was secretly hoping that Clary would be waiting for him once he got it all out of his system. He knew it was probably a ridiculous thought. A woman as beautiful, intelligent and real as Clary wouldn't stay single for long. Jace was about ready to get up and go find her when he heard a knock coming from the direction of his door. Clary hadn't shut it when she left (and it was against her character to go around slamming doors no matter how pissed she was) so he could see that it was Bash standing there, assessing the situation in front of him. He walked into the room and yanked Jace's blanket off of him.

"Come on. Get the fuck up. I'm guessing by the look on your face and the fact that you're still in bed at," he looked at his phone to check the time. "5 o'clock that you are Clary are no longer together." Jace groaned in response and covered his face with his arm.

"How'd you end it?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, we're not doing this shit. Get out of bed. You broke up with her so you could go out and live like a 22 year old college student. We're about ready to graduate. We don't have any more time to waste."

After what felt like another hour of prodding from Sebastian, Jace slowly got out of bed and dragged himself to the shower to get ready, hoping that by the time he was dressed to go out, he'd actually feel like all of this was worth it.

—

After Clary left Jace's room, she almost broke down on the stairs of the Lambda Chi house but she knew she had to hold it together so Jace or any of his frat brothers wouldn't hear her cry. She finally made it back to the apartment off campus she shared with KK and Mags, hoping that neither was home but she had no such luck. Since KK had been the one to tell her about the Jace situation when she got back from her last shift at her internship at the hospital earlier that morning, she had some idea of what would happen when Clary went to Jace's and was waiting to provide support when she got home. She'd recruited Mags to be her backup since he went through boyfriends like water and camped out with a tub of ice cream and Mean Girls playing on the TV every few months.

"What can we do, love? We know you're hurting," Mags said as he rushed to hold Clary in his arms.

"Ice cream and shitty girly movies that have no real plot line?" asked KK. She was really more of a tomboy in disguise. She worked on cars and was studying to be an engineer despite wearing dresses and heels most of the time but she'd put up with some crappy movies for a night if it meant making Clary feel better.

"I think I'm just gonna go to my room guys but I appreciate you trying to cheer me up." She was trying her best not to shed any tears in front of her friends but she could feel it becoming increasingly harder to hold them back. She needed to escape and do it as quickly as possible. She wiggled free from Magnus' hold. "I'll talk to you guys later."

As soon as the door shut, Clary was on her bed with her head under the pillow, trying to muffle the wails and stop the sobs wracking through her small body. She thought that if she cried where no one could see then somehow she could pretend it wasn't happening. The problem was that Mags and KK heard every single tear and felt so paralyzed since it was obvious that Clary didn't want their help. They'd both been to her door multiple times throughout the day when the whimpering seemed to get particularly bad but always found the door locked and no matter her much they pleaded, she wouldn't open it.

For a whole week, the only place that Clary went was back and forth to class. Mags or KK would bring her food from the dining hall because they were worried if she went, she'd run into Jace and it'd make her current predicament even worse. The only reason Clary could pull herself out of bed to attend the 6 classes she was taking was because it was finals week and it was the last semester she'd be spending at UCLA. She'd kept her head down and thankfully hadn't run into Jace, Sebastian or any of the other guys from the soccer team, who she was sure were aware of their separation by that point. Clary didn't have any classes with Jace or Sebastian that semester and she knew none of the other guys would approach her yet so she supposed she had that to thank for part of her ability to remain anonymous.

All week, her friends on campus had noticed a change in her and for the most part, the news about her and Jace being over had made it's rounds. Most people pitied her. They could see she wasn't taking it well since she was back to dirty Chucks, jeans and hoodies. She'd really been dressing for the incredible body she had since her and Jace had gotten together since she felt like she had someone to appreciate the effort. She was back to being quiet and reserved, staying out of conversations as much as she could.

By the time Friday rolled around and she had taken her last final, she walked into her apartment, plopped down onto her bed face first in starfish position and thanked the Angel that she was done. She didn't have anymore energy to pretend she was okay when she wasn't and she had a feeling she hadn't been doing a very good job anyway.

Not 5 minutes later, her bedroom door was thrown open. A voice she recognized rang out, melodically behind her and entered the room.

"I came as soon as I could. I had to wait until I took my last final before I could fly out." Clary felt someone sit down on her bed. She flipped over to stare right into the eyes of Isabelle Lightwood. Izzy was a year behind Clary and studied Journalism at UC Berkeley so it was almost a 4 hour trip to get to Los Angeles driving. Clary was touched she'd actually bought a plane ticket to come make sure she was alright. "You look like death, babes."

"Thanks, Iz," Clary said, sarcastically while rolling her eyes. Izzy shrugged.

"You do and you know I'm the last person to lie to you about anything let alone your appearance." There was a pregnant pause, as if Izzy was just waiting to drop a bomb. It came a few seconds later.

"Look, my brother is an idiot. He didn't tell me what went down when I asked but I can gather that it has something to do with sowing his wild oats or something to that effect." Clary looked down at her lap, basically confirming Izzy's suspicions without bringing the cheating into the equation. His sister didn't need to have the image of her older brother tarnished and Clary certainly didn't want to be the one to have a negative effect on their relationship.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to him and if he's just willing to give up on that then he's not worth your time.

"Actually, Iz, I'm the one who took the ring off. He said he didn't want this…that he didn't want to do this anymore and so I let him go. I put the ring on the table and left."

"There's more you're not telling me but I'll let it go for now. You're obviously upset. Mags has been on the phone with me all week saying how the only time you've been out of your room is to go to class…and that's partially THEIR FAULT BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN INDULGING YOU TOO LONG." They heard a collective "hey" from the living room.

"Seriously, Firefly, you have to get out of this bed; out of this apartment. I know you're sad. You just got out of a relationship with the man you thought you were going to marry but don't let my brother take away who you are. You've come out of your shell so much over the past year that I've known you and I can't bear to see you crawl back in. You're my sister whether you're marrying that jackass or not.

"Thanks, Iz. I just can't help thinking that if I'd done something differently then maybe—"

"Hey, hey, none of that. Jace has always been a selfish bastard."

"Well, did he just pull the wool over my eyes then? Have I just been playing the fool this entire time, thinking he loved me when he really didn't? Am I really that blind or am I just that stupid?"

"Stop that shit. He loved you. He still loves you. Honestly, you're the only one he's ever not acted like a selfish prick with." Clary seriously wanted to laugh knowing that a major reason they weren't together was because Jace cheated. "Trust me when I say it was nothing you did. Please don't feel like it's your fault."

"Do you think I was too hasty giving the ring back? I mean we didn't really even talk anything out. Maybe I could have figured out where all of this was coming from and we could've worked it out."

"That's not on you. You deserve better than someone who can't put on his big boy pants and act like the man he is. There is no woman in their right mind who wouldn't have given the ring back to a man who said he didn't want what they had anymore. You did the right thing." Clary sat up and latched onto Izzy like it was the first hug she'd had in years. Isabelle hugged her just as tightly in return. Clary needed the reassurance and was also beyond happy to hear that her relationship with Izzy wasn't over just because her and Jace were. Her head really was all fuzzy and somehow she'd managed to turn Jace's infidelity around on herself. It took his sister to knock those thoughts right out of her head, whether she knew the truth or not.

"I really needed you, Iz. Mags and KK are my best friends but I needed to hear I made the right choice from someone not automatically on my side and on top of all the Jace shit, I've been really worried about what this would do to us. I guess I had to hear it from you to know we were still okay," Clary admitted, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Of course we are. That idiot isn't gonna stop me from getting another girl in the family and Mom, Max and Alec still consider you one of us as well." She smiled, brightly at Clary, encouraging her to return it. "Alright, dry those eyes and go take a shower because you kind of smell a little bit and get your butt back out here. I'm gonna go grab Mags and we're going to make you absolutely gorgeous and then we're going dancing to celebrate the last day of finals and the fact that you'll all be graduating in a week."

"Do I really have to? I don't think I'm ready for that yet," Clary whined.

"Oh yes you are. The sooner you get out there and face the world, the easier it will be and then people will stop feeling sorry for you because they'll know that you're more than some relationship you had with the Captain of the Soccer team." Clary sighed, heavily. She wasn't sure she was ready to put herself back out there but if she could do it, it would be with Isabelle Lightwood by her side, rooting her on so she decided to follow her instructions.

"Okay, I'm going."

"Good, Hurry up. You have 30 minutes to be completely showered, shaved and moisturized before I expect your cute little ass back out here and in this chair." Izzy, pulled out the chair that resided in front of Clary's vanity before grabbing all sorts of makeup that she apparently felt she needed to use on Clary's face. Clary wondered off to the bathroom and shut the door.

She exited exactly 27 minutes later after following all of Izzy's instructions. It took Magnus and Isabelle, of course with input from KK, a total of 52 minutes to have Clary looking perfect for a night out dancing. They put her in a sleeveless, draped boatneck, backless black dress that came down to almost her knees but had a slit up to her upper thigh. It was accompanied by some Miu Red Platform Peep-Toe Pumps and a grey smoky eye, a thick cat eye, thick mascara and crimson lips. Izzy declared her a masterpiece and the other's disappeared to get themselves ready to go. They all met in the living room about 30 minutes later dressed to go out. Mags was wearing an iridescent red suit with red glitter gel in his hair and eyeliner and KK was dressed in a short blue halter dress and black scrappy heels. Izzy was in a green strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline that barely touched mid thigh and black heeled boots with straps that wrapped all the way up the calves.

40 minutes later, they were pulling up to Lumos&Nox, one of the most prestigious nightclubs in LA. You could only get in if you were famous, exceptionally beautiful or if you knew someone who worked there. Lucky for them, they were all extremely good looking and happened to know most of the staff from the many nights spent drinking and partying there.

The 4 of them cut to the front of the line, thanks to Mike the bouncer, and entered the club to the irritated scowls of the other patrons still waiting to get in. One of the reasons L&N was such a big deal was they threw whiteout and blackout parties every other weekend. It didn't happen to be going on this weekend but Clary knew she would miss her favorite club after she graduated.

They all took 2 quick rounds of shots at the bar, grabbed their drinks and made their way to the VIP section. They all sat down and took in the atmosphere until Clary felt Izzy grab her hand. It was loud in the club so even though Izzy moved close to her ear, she still had to shout to be heard.

"Let's get your hot little ass out on that dance floor. We didn't dress you up and bring you here just to let you sit around and look pretty." Clary reluctantly nodded and made her way to the dance floor with Izzy, dragging Mags and KK with them.

When they got to the dance floor, Clary felt awkward for a moment. It'd been a long while since she danced without Jace as her partner and all the memories of nights spent there together started to run through her head until Izzy took her hand and started to manipulate her body. It didn't take her long to fall into the groove and begin to enjoy moving her body in the forbidden way she remembered. She was grinding her body against Isabelle's like she hadn't done to anybody but Jace in what seemed like forever but she was having a great time. She let the night take her away and vowed to not let anything that had happened cause her anymore pain. Jace made his choice and she'd made hers. There was no reason to dwell. She was graduating and that's what she was going to focus on from that point forward.

—

Bash persuaded Jace to go out to L&N despite Jace not really feeling like going. He'd been out almost every night that week. He'd tried to hook up with a few girls and even though it was his idea to end it with Clary, he couldn't be with any of them without feeling like he was doing something wrong, not that it mattered anymore. He'd pushed Clary away and he was supposed to be happy about it. He tried to push his feelings aside as he entered the club, nodding to Mike on the way in.

Jace and Sebastian sidled up to the bar, Bash immediately noticing a group of girls that were sitting there. Jace hailed the bartender, Felix, another friend, and got a whiskey neat, coincidently also Clary's drink of choice. He sat there enjoying his drink for a few moments just taking in the atmosphere, feeling a little happier to be spending what was probably his last night at Lumos&Nox when he noticed them. At first he wasn't sure since the lights were flashing but then he caught a flash of her red hair when the lights changed and they turned toward his direction and he was sure he saw Clary on the dance floor with his sister. They were dancing so suggestively that many of the male eyes and some of the female eyes in the club were on them. Jace was sure that KK and Mags were close by but he couldn't take his eyes off of Clary and the body that he'd grown to know so well over the last 2 years.

All of the sudden, two men came up out of nowhere and separated Clary and Izzy, pulling them each to dance. Jace recognized the guy with Clary from his Advanced Trig class that he and Clary had taken together last semester. He immediately saw red as soon as he noticed how Jordan's hands were moving up and down her body like they were inspecting every single curve she had. Clary didn't seem to mind either which was making him even more crazy. After Jordan came a slew of guys, some he recognized, some he didn't. It seemed like any time the song changed, she had a new partner. She was supposed to be missing him, like he was missing her but obviously that wasn't the case. He realized he was being a hypocrite because he was there to pick up a chick to take her back to the house with him but by that time, he was on his 4th Whiskey on an empty stomach and she was lucky he hadn't gone over and kicked the shit out of any of the guy that'd had their hands all over what was or used to be his.

He finally worked up the strength to look away but not before Izzy spotted him sitting at the bar. She made her way over to the bar and slapped him on the back of the head. He hadn't even seen her approaching.

"Ow, Iz. What the fuck was that for," he slurred.

"See that girl out there? That is the kind of girl you don't let go of. That is the kind of girl that gets snatched up as soon as she's single because that is the kind of girl who is ride or die and everyone seems to know it but you."

"Obviously. I've seen half the club with their hands all over her."

"Wow, mature. And you have no one to blame but yourself. That's what happens when you cheat on your fiancé," Izzy accused. Jace drunkenly jerked to look at Izzy.

"Did she tell you I cheated on her?"

"No, she'd never do that because she has too much respect for you as a person to let your family think anything bad about you like that but the fact that you didn't deny it tells me all I need to know. No wonder she gave the ring back. You really don't fucking deserve her," Izzy said, pointing at Clary dancing with Jordan again. "She can dance with whoever she wants, do whatever she wants because you tossed her away and guess what brother, you're the one who gets to regret that for the rest of your life. Have a nice night." Izzy stomped away, making her way back out to the dance floor and joined back in the fun.

Jace felt like shit. He downed his 5th drink of the night and joined Sebastian in enjoying the group of girls he was talking up. He figured nothing was gonna make him forget what he'd done or what Izzy said to him. He knew she was right but he couldn't reconcile her words with the reasons Bash had given for being a free 22 year old male. It was obvious he couldn't take his words or actions back even if he wanted to so he decided to do what he set to out to do in the first place and took one of the girls back to his room. He ended the night by fucking her in his very drunken state. He tried to enjoy the random girl underneath him but he couldn't keep his mind from wandering to Clary and what it felt like to have her soft skin moving against his the entire time. It was a memory he realized he would probably never forget and he didn't want to.


	3. Back To The Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a Spotify playlist for this series at https:/ /open.spotify.com/user/1235861650/playlist/11pzLPQKBJ6BiTw8zkcWXM?si=Luh-d3jpQymFNhWygsx5xA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story Song:
> 
> *Adele - Send My Love (To Your New Lover)*
> 
> Chapter Songs:
> 
> *Andra Day -Rise Up*
> 
> *Beyoncè- Irreplaceable*
> 
> *Zara Larsson - I Can't Fall in Love Without You*

8 Years Later

Clary walked into the hospital carrying her customary blended white chocolate mocha and a nonfat latte in her other hand. It was a Sunday and she hadn't expected to be there but thus was the life of a Forensic Investigator, crime waited for no one and it didn't care about weekends. She greeted Camille, one of the Medical Examiner's assistants, on the way in and set the extra cup of coffee in front of her. She immediately picked it up, gestured to Clary and took a very large drink.

"Morning, Cam. Hope being called in on a Sunday morning didn't put too much of a damper on your weekend."

"I do have a bit of a hangover so I appreciate the coffee." She held her hand out for Clary to see what was on her finger. "Raphael proposed last night and I guess we got a little carried away with the celebrating."

Clary was super happy for Camille. She was 23 and her and Raphael had been together for a little over 2 years. They met in college and had started out as a hookup. She was happy for her, it just sounded a little too familiar and it hit a little too close to home. She saw how amazing they were together as she'd hung out with them on many occasions but she saw a lot of herself in Cam and sincerely hoped that she didn't end up with a broken heart. It'd been 8 years since Clary walked away from Jace and while she didn't dwell on what happened between them, she did find herself wondering about him every now and again. She was still friends with his entire family so she caught little pieces of news here and there. She was happy for him but seeing the similarities between them 8 years ago and Camille and Raphael now brought back a little bit of the hurt that would always be there. She turned her attention back to her friend, realizing she hadn't acknowledged her good news.

"That's so great Cam. I am so happy for you," Clary said while reaching to give her a hug. The woman embraced her in return and soon there were happy tears between them.

"I wanted to know if you'd be a bridesmaid, Clary. You've been so good to me since I started working here and you're like a big sister to me." Clary squeezed her extra tight for a moment, need a little extra strength to bring her back to the here and now. She pulled back before answering.

"I'd love that, Cam. Thanks for asking me. Let me know the details and what you need me to do and I'm there."

"Thanks, Clary. I'm excited to go through all the wedding stuff. Enough about me though. Were you able to get your grant program going? I know the last time we talked, you were having to maneuver around some red tape."

"Yeah, it all worked out. The 'You Are Worth It' Grant Program is now up and running. I've got a few big donors and I've donated myself, plus I was able to get some state funding as well. That was the red tape I was trying to get through but it's mostly a privately backed grant program. Any mother taking care of her children on her own deserves a second chance to better herself and shouldn't have to worry about whether she'll be able to feed her family while doing so, not to mention the crippling debt of student loans. We just need to put up some flyers at the community center, announcing the program. We have a website and it's linked on the FAFSA website as well but I want it to be where real women I know will see it and hopefully take advantage. There will be a press conference at the end of the week though."

"I'm in awe of how you find the time, energy and perseverance to do all this, Clary. Let me help. Give me some flyers and I'll be happy to hang them in the community center in my neighborhood."

"Thanks, Cam." She smiled and pulled a stack from her bag. "Here you go. Just let me know if you need more. Anyway, I've got a date with a dead body. I'll see you later."

As she was walking away, she remembered something and turned around, "Don't forget, you and Raph are invited to my book release party next weekend. I hope you enjoy free champagne, excellent food and amazing company. I've got some other people coming but it will be even more fun with you both there."

"We've been to the last two, You know we wouldn't miss it," she said, winking. Clary smiled in return before continuing down the hall, waving her hand as she walked away.

Clary finished her coffee and tossed it into the trash can before heading down to Exam Room #3, her absolute favorite. Before she entered, she needed to prep for the work at hand. She secured her long, auburn hair into a bun at the base of her neck, and dressed in all the necessary gear to keep her DNA from mixing with any possible evidence left on the body she was examining today. Clary stepped in to inspect what had been left in an abandoned warehouse just outside the city.

She took one look, immediately noting the cause of death had more than likely been a gunshot wound to the head. Clary didn't specifically work for OCME. She was a contractor that worked for whoever needed her throughout New York City and the surrounding areas, mostly for big cases or situations that required her specific expertise with blood.

Before the whole thing even happened with Jace, she'd gotten multiple acceptance letters from medical schools. Jace had received an offer to work for a consulting firm that had an office in San Fransisco and one in Baltimore so UC San Fransisco and Johns Hopkins were the schools she was seriously considering at the time. The firm was having a hard time determining where they wanted to place Jace so she'd contacted both schools, asking for extra time to settle on her final decision. She was graduating Magna Cum Laude and Valedictorian with a 4.0, excellent recommendations from her professors, a graduate degree in forensic science which she'd taken concurrently with her undergraduate studies and would finish with a research paper that had to be turned in before the end of the summer. She had many published works already at the age of 22 and had more completed hours volunteering at the local hospital than were required. Both schools knew her value and graciously gave her a couple of extra weeks.

Jace ended up getting the position in San Fransisco, which she was informed of by Izzy when she came back with all of Clary's stuff after she went to drop off all of Jace's that he'd left at Clary's. The day after she spent all day in bed crying, she contacted Johns Hopkins and accepted their offer. She didn't want to be anywhere near Jace and wanted to put all of her focus on school.

She graduated from Johns Hopkins medical school in a fast track 3 year program and entered a pathology focused residency program. By the time she got to the last year of her residency, she'd been invited to join in on multiple cases to help investigate crime scenes and became interested in blood spatter. She'd made quite a name for herself and was highly sought after before she even completed her board certification.

Her life had been amazing so far. She'd remained good friends with Mags and KK over the years. Mags and Alec also lived in New York, meeting her for brunch on Sundays and she was the godmother to Gracie, their 3 year old little girl.

KK lived in Chicago and came to visit Clary and Mags whenever she got the chance. She was married to a guy named Mel, who was also an Engineer, that she'd met at her first position out of college. She ignored him at first but he continued to pursue her until she finally agreed to a date, almost 3 years later. They'd been married for almost a year now and KK was even starting to get baby fever which Clary and Magnus never expected to see from her.

Clary looked at the clock on the wall as she was collecting evidence from the corpse on the table in front of her.

"Shit." She sped up her retrieval process noting that she had a self defense class she was supposed to teach in an hour and then a date with her current man of the moment, Hunter.

Clary went on lots of dates. Men couldn't stay away from her. She was gorgeous, intelligent and totally down to earth. The problem was that none of them seemed to make it more than about 3 months. Clary knew that it was because she was afraid to let herself fall after what happened with Jace but she refused to change her habits. The moment the words 'I love you' left their lips, she politely ended the relationship. Alec and Magnus were constantly on her to settle down and so was KK. Izzy seemed to be the only one that understood that she just wanted to have a good time. She was only 30 after all, not dead.

Clary finished up her work. Submitted her samples for testing, said goodbye to Camille and hoofed it to the community center which thankfully, only a few blocks away. Clary started taking Aikido and Krav Maga the first year of Med school as a way to both relax herself after the long hours of studying and to protect herself when she was leaving the library in the early hours of the morning. She never had to use it as a weapon but she wanted to make sure that other women were able to defend themselves should they need it and as a black belt in Krav Maga and a 7th dan in Aikido, she had the skill to make sure that any person who came to her for help would be well protected. A good friend of hers had been raped during the first year of residency, never quite recovering from it and that was why she volunteered to teach the class at both the women's shelter and community center a few times a week.

She made it to the community center just in time, running into the locker room to dress down. She came back out in a sports bra and shorts just in time to see the last woman enter the building. She looked around at the strong women in front of her and it reassured her of why she did this.

"Alright ladies, let's get started. We've got a lot to get through today."

—

Jace was sitting in his office, looking through a stack of account statements from one of his biggest clients. Shaking his head, he set the stack down and sighed deeply. Leaning back in his chair, he rubbed his hands over his face. He'd been staring at the man's financial records for 6 hours and couldn't believe it was possible to spend so much money on such useless shit and invest in the most worthless companies. No wonder the man was about ready to file for bankruptcy, however, it was Jace and his team's job to keep that from happening.

Jace was extremely good at what he did and had no doubt he would figure out how to offload some of his assets and get out of some of his bad investment choices to reverse the damage he'd done to his finances.

After graduating college, Jace had left to work for the biggest consulting firm in California, based out of San Fransisco. He worked there for 4 years, tirelessly and was offered partner which was quite the accomplishment considering he was the youngest consultant at the firm. Instead of taking the position as partner, he decided to venture out on his own, knowing that he could have more freedom to run things the way he wanted, being his own boss and that he'd have no problem attracting clients. It turned out that when most of his current clients found out he was starting up his own firm, they followed him rather than staying with FCA Ltd. Jace was a real talent and he'd not only brought in almost half of the company's business over the past 2 years but he was the one making the recommendations that were making their top clients millions of dollars.

Jace moved to LA and used most of his savings to lease an office space he could use to run his new business from. After he got his company up and running and really started trying to manage all of his clients at the same time, by himself, he realized he needed to find at least a couple of other consultants to join and help handle the workload.

In his search, he came across Bat Velasquez; a man so slick, he was able to rope clients into agreeing with an idea before a plan had even been completely formed. Bat worked for a rival firm and Jace had often had to pitch against him so he knew he put up a good fight. Jace offered him a large increase in salary and upon Bat's acceptance of his offer, wasted no time in making him his second in command. They then brought on Maia Roberts. A recent graduate from UC Berkeley, coming out at the top of her class, graduating Summa Cum Laude she'd been offered a job with FCA Ltd. right out of college, just like Jace had. When he found out who their newest acquisition was, he and Bat set out to steal her right out from underneath them.

Jace knew that the starting salary for a consultant with FCA Ltd. was somewhere around the 50k range but increased that by a generous amount to lure her in and persuade her to join them. It turned out he didn't need to offer her any kind of wage increase at all. Jace's favorite finance professor was extremely proud of his progress and taught a segment about him in one of his classes. There had also been an article about Jace in the LA times and how he and SMF Inc. were taking the financial world by storm. She didn't turn down the increase in salary though or the extra vacation days but she had no problem turning down the competition in favor of working with Jace and Bat.

4 years later, Jace owned the biggest firm on the West Coast. SMF Inc. or Smart Money Financial Incorporated was on the map within the first year and only continued to grow from there. About two years in, he bought the tallest building in LA, made of mostly glass and steel. They now had over 250 employees and the best pool of junior consultants in the business. The company's net worth was quickly approaching a billion dollars due to the smart investments Jace and Bat had made and the companies they'd provided financial backing for. His life was great, except for one thing. And that was one thing he didn't like to think about.

Jace was brought out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. He really didn't have time to be bothered if he wanted to figure out a plan and actually get home at a decent time that night.

"Whoever it is, go ask Mr. Velasquez. I don't have time to deal with anything else right now." His door opened anyway a few seconds later.

"Even if it's me?" came the voice of his girlfriend, Aline.

Jace didn't do girlfriends. He hadn't had one since her because no one ever meant that much to him. Jace went out with Sebastian all the time and they found willing girls to take to bed. That was easy. That was exactly what he was supposed to be doing in his 20's. But Aline had been persistent.

They met at a bar and hooked up in his car in the parking lot before parting ways with only each other's names. Jace ended up going to the same bar with Bat and Maia on a Friday, after work a few weeks later and she happened to be there again. Seeing him across the room, she didn't hesitate to come over and talk to him. The night ended with them both severely drunk and a quick fuck on the counter in the women's bathroom. After the second time, they exchanged numbers and would hook up randomly. She always seemed to know where he was and would show up there and had enticed him into bed by the end of the night. The sex was pretty good, It wasn't like it was with her but that was to be expected since it was impossible to improve upon heaven.

The first time Jace woke up and Aline was cooking him breakfast in his kitchen, he had a panic attack. He threw her out of his apartment, saying he needed space. She gathered her clothes and left with a sad look on her face. Jace tried to ignore her but she called everyday, multiple times a day. Eventually he answered and broke it down for her, telling her he wasn't looking for a relationship and liked what they had. She agreed and initially backed off but then started to slowly incorporate her into his life the way a girlfriend would. She did it so flawlessly that Jace barely noticed and next thing he knew, it'd been a year and she was expecting a ring. He wasn't ready to do that again. He wasn't even sure that's what he wanted anymore.

"Hey, babe. I always have a little bit of time for you."

"Good," she said before sauntering over to his side of the desk and straddling his lap.

"Okay, this I don't have time for."

"Come on, Jace. I need you. It's been a rough day." she whined while rocking her hot core against him.

"Fuck, Aline," he responded, unconsciously bucking up into her. "Shit, I can't do this right now. If I get this done soon, I can actually head home at a decent time. Then, I promise I'll take care of you." He pulled her to stand up off of his lap.

"Fine, but you better make it up to me," she breathed before kissing him passionately and making her way back out the door, shaking her hips as she moved.

When Jace got back home, it was just after 7 pm. Aline was already in his kitchen cooking dinner with a bottle of wine open next to her.

"Smells amazing in here. I'm glad I gave you your own key. Coming home to things like this almost makes the long day worth it."

"Well, you know…you could come home to this every night." Jace gulped. He was used to her being around. He was used to how she'd inserted herself in his life but he didn't know if he could permanently share a space with her…and then the next step after moving in together was the M word and he was pretty sure he didn't want that, at least not right now. Maybe not at all, not without her. He decided the best approach was to redirect the conversation.

"How was your day today?" Aline looked a bit put out but only for a second until she realized he'd asked about her day, at which point she went into a detailed walkthrough of her day in court.

That night, they laid in his bed after an orgasm that left him sated enough to allow him to fall asleep. He was almost out when he heard Aline whisper the words 'I love you.' Jace thought about it for a moment before responding. They'd never said it to each other before and Jace wasn't sure if he could say it now. His hesitation came from the fact that it didn't feel like it had with her. It wasn't as intense, as deep. But maybe all love wasn't the same and maybe that was okay. Maybe the fact that she took care of him was enough. He realized he'd become dependent on her in the year that they'd been together and wasn't ready to lose her, forcing him to make his decision even though he knew the response he was about to utter only belonged to one person. The words felt meaningless coming from him to anyone else.

"I love you too." And those were the last words spoken before she attached her mouth to his again. As soon as the utterance left his lips, all he could think about was her. Her beautiful, long red hair, her small but full curves. He knew he'd have to deal with the guilt later but for now, he'd live there as long as he could.

For now, he could take comfort in the fact that his routine would remain the same. Jace knew he was an asshole but in his second post-orgasmic state, he really couldn't bring himself to care. He couldn't help but wonder if she still thought about him like he thought about her and then thought better about it remembering he broke her heart. One day, he'd be able to get her out of his head but that day definitely wasn't today. He closed his eyes are tried not to think about the green eyes that often haunted his dreams.


	4. Don’t You Wish Your Girlfriend Was...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a Spotify playlist for this series at https:/ /open.spotify.com/user/1235861650/playlist/11pzLPQKBJ6BiTw8zkcWXM?si=Luh-d3jpQymFNhWygsx5xA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story Song:
> 
> *Adele - Send My Love (To Your New Lover)*
> 
> Chapter Songs:
> 
> *Kesha - Praying*
> 
> *Paramore - Grudges*
> 
> *Little Mix - Shout Out To My Ex*

6 Months Later

Clary was in the back of a town car, making the final edits on an article she was having published, on her way from the airport to the house of Robert and Maryse Lightwood. It had been about 5 years since she'd been back despite her nearly biweekly Skype sessions with Maryse, her emails to Robert and the many trips Max and Izzy made to New York to see her, Alec and Magnus. Alec and Magnus along with little Gracie had already arrived the day before since they'd planned to stay for a long weekend. Clary was invited to be a guest speaker at a medical conference and when she told Alec and Magnus she needed to travel back to California, they quickly conspired with Maryse to get her to stay the night there rather than at a hotel.

Clary's mother and father had been killed by a drunk driver in a car accident when she was still in medical school and that was the last time she'd set foot in the state. Clary had been devastated and Maryse was the one there to help her with all the funeral arrangements. They had both been only children and her grandparents had all passed away by the time she was 13 so she had no family left that she needed to divide her time between. The Lightwoods along with Magnus and KK were all she had and she cherished them more than they'd ever realize.

She was nervous and she didn't know why. She knew that she was loved and accepted by the Lightwoods and Izzy had assured her that Jace wouldn't be joining them but she still couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had slipped over her since she got off the plane.

It wasn't that she was worried that some big showdown would occur if they happened to end up in the same room together. Clary was more concerned about the awkwardness that would exist between them after all this time. She sincerely hoped that Jace had found happiness despite what he did to her. It still hurt when she really dwelled on the particulars because they'd been friends first but she had forgiven him a long time ago even if she could never forget. Regardless, she'd put it behind her and moved on, focusing on what was really important in her life.

When Clary pulled up to the rather large dwelling and climbed out of the back of the car with her bags, she blew out a deep breath. Everything about it looked the same, except maybe a fresh coat of paint and two beds of rose bushes that Maryse told her she was planning on planting in the front yard. She tried to shake off her nerves as she tipped her driver and dragged her bags toward the porch. She hadn't planned on staying the night but there was no denying the power of the entire Lightwood clan, even the missing one, when they wanted something bad enough.

Before she even reached the door, Izzy was running out of it, throwing her arms around Clary's neck, followed closely by a smiling Max. He had followed in Jace's footsteps and attended UCLA but was home to see his family for the weekend as was his usual routine. Before she knew it, she was sandwiched between them and was being squeezed tight enough to slightly cut off her air supply.

"Guys, can't…breathe…here," she managed to get out.

"We missed you. It's been almost 8 months since we were out there to visit," Izzy whined.

"I know. I miss you guys too. I'll try to get away from work more often so I can come out here to see you. I forgot how beautiful it is compared to New York." Clary said.

"Come on, Let's go inside," Max said, grabbing her bags from her and practically dragging her into the house. "Hey, look who we found," he yelled as soon as they entered the foyer. He ran upstairs and put her bag in the guest room that she'd occupied on multiple occasions.

Clary and Izzy continued on into the living room and saw everyone sitting around enjoying coffee and tea.

"CeeCee. I miss you," she heard as a little ball of energy hurled herself into Clary's legs. She reached down and picked up Gracie, cuddling her in her arms. "I missed you too, baby girl. Are you having fun with Gigi and Papa?" The little girl nodded, excitedly and buried her face in Clary's neck. Her and Gracie had a very special relationship since she was the only regular mother figure in her life. They did all the girly things together, letting Alec and Magnus off the hook and in a lot of cases, allowing them to have some alone time that they wouldn't otherwise get. They were both very grateful to have Clary in their lives.

Clary set Gracie down and she ran back over to her fathers. She was quickly joined by Izzy who poured herself a cup of coffee and joined them on the couch.

"Clarissa," Maryse said as she got up to envelop her in a hug and Robert was right behind her. "How was your trip, dear?"

"It was fine. I can never complain about first class and the conference is paying for my travel and expenses while I'm here. I told them I had plans to stay with family while I was here so they didn't need to worry about that. Robert and Maryse both smiled, widely and Robert said, "you know you're always more than welcome here. We really do wish you'd visit more but we will be coming to New York for Christmas this year so we'll be coming to see you this time."

Clary pulled them both into a tight hug, excited that they would finally be coming to her city. They had only been once since they'd all moved there, not liking the crowds in the large city. Everyone usually either came back to California or had their own plans for Christmas and Clary usually spent it with Magnus, Alec and Gracie at home or KK and Mel in Chicago.

"I'm so excited you guys are coming. I can show you the house I just bought and Maryse, I could use your help in decorating. You know, the right curtains are hard…" Clary and Maryse walked off together discussing the decorum of her new place. Clary didn't have much time to worry about things like that and up until she had Max, Maryse had been a very successful Interior Designer, one of the most sought after in the state of California. She just started getting back in the game a couple years ago and had immediately had her faithful clients return to request her services. Clary knew her house would be no problem for Maryse to tackle.

Clary greeted Alec and Magnus before grabbing a cup of tea herself and sitting down to enjoy the pleasant conversation with the family she had missed so much. She really would have to make an effort to come back to her home state more often. She missed the family dynamic and while Alec and Magnus always made her feel welcome, it wasn't the same as feeling the love that only parents could bring, even if they weren't biological.

After an afternoon of catching up on everything happening in each other's lives, the Lightwood's housekeeper, Elizabeth, announced that dinner was being served. They all made their way into the dining room and had a seat around the table, Clary being seated between Maryse and Max, as per usual. She removed her black blazer and draped it over the back of the chair before sitting down herself.

"So Clary, tell us about this most recent grant program you've started. I read about it in the New York Times and I'm curious about the particulars," Robert asked. "It was for working mothers to be able to go back to school, correct?"

"Yes. It's been up and running for a little over 6 months. We've helped over 3,500 women get back into school while paying for their daycare service as they attend classes. We are starting to get some single father's interested in the program as well which is great. It's mostly privately but also state funded. I'm a financial backer and I've donated most of the money from my most recent book sale to the program. We also have some support from quite a few big businesses back home."

"Well, we'd love to make a donation if you'll accept it. It sounds like an amazing idea and if Maryse wouldn't have gotten the opportunity to continue school while I was in the army and she was taking care of Alec, we definitely wouldn't be where we are today. We'd love to give some of that good fortune back."

Clary smiled at Robert. She was touched by his willingness to help the cause that was so close to her heart. "Of course, Robert. Although, the thing is that we were planning on extending the program out here. We have women who take advantage of our services everywhere but we need an office out here to run things since the number of women and men who are participating keeps growing, substantially on this coast. I just have to find someone to head the office. Zac, my financial planner in all this, tells me it's necessary to manage the workload. I already have someone running the office in New York since I don't exactly have a lot of free time so it makes sense to do the same thing out here, especially because I can't be in two places to overlook everything.

Clary looked at Maryse, hoping that she would volunteer for the position. She knew her Interior Design business was just getting off the ground again but Maryse was the kind of person who hated to sit still and she had many connections to pull in additional donors. Maryse couldn't miss the not so subtle looks she was getting from Clary.

"You know I was in the moment you opened your mouth, dear. No need for those calculated glances, hoping that I'll catch on," she laughed. Clary grabbed Maryse' hand and gently squeezed it, silently thanking her for doing this. "Zac will be in touch with the particulars but I suppose the first thing to do is go shopping for a space. We need a place that has enough space for childcare and room for a computer lab and a place for the mother's to study. It also needs to have a cafeteria and a library. If we need to build anything, obviously that's not a problem. I'm sure you'll find the right space."

Just then, they heard the front door open and shut. The whole family looked up as they weren't expecting any other guests that evening, especially ones that just walked into their home. It could only be one person.

"Mom, Dad. Where are you?"

"We're in here son. Just sitting down to dinner," Robert replied.

Jace walked around the corner, looking more devastatingly handsome than the last time she'd seen him. She thought she would be absolutely okay until she saw the beautiful woman's hand that was attached to his. It brought up all kinds of feelings that she thought she'd buried. She obviously wasn't hiding it very well because Maryse and Izzy both shot her sympathetic looks.

She composed herself quickly and the moment Jace's eyes landed on her, he seemed to suddenly lose the capability to speak. She re-evaluated her feelings on the situation and while it didn't feel great to see Jace with someone else, it had been 8.5 years since they'd been together and she'd let him go. Besides, it's not like she had been pining for him the whole time but the incident a couple of months into her first year of medical school left a scar on her soul that she never got a chance to share with him and somehow, that made her feel incredibly guilty even though he was the one who ruined what they had. He was still staring at her with his mouth agape so she decided to make the first move and put him out of his misery.

Clary got up from the table and walked around to stand in front of him. "Hi, Jace," she said as she wrapped her arms around him and putting her head on his chest, where she could feel his heart practically beating out of it. It took him a moment but he buried his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent and returned the hug, tightly. "Clary," he whispered into her ear." She needed to break the hug because things were starting to get awkward and she could hear the woman's huff from behind Jace.

She turned to Aline and held her hand out to shake hers. "Hi, I'm Clary. I'm…an old family friend," she said, not wanting to get Jace in trouble just in case he didn't want her to know about their history. "Hello, Clary. Nice to meet you. I'm Aline, Jace's girlfriend," she said with a fake smile. Deep inside, the thought of Jace being in a committed relationship when he couldn't give that to her stung a little but she knew that was just the rejection that came along with it. She hoped that Jace treated her right and that if Aline was really the one, he wouldn't push her away like her did to her.

Aline seemed to be sizing her up, trying to figure out if she was competition and she wanted to reassure her but didn't feel like it was her place to speak to Jace's feelings for his girlfriend since she knew absolutely nothing about their relationship. She couldn't help but notice how different her and Aline were though. Aline had pin straight black hair and her body was that of a model with very little curves. Clary was shorter at only 5'3" but even with her lack of height, she had curves for days. Clary's breasts were easily a D cup and she had a creamy complexion rather than the other woman's olive colored skin. Aline was tall and seemed to adorn herself in what appeared to be expensive jewelry and designer labels. Clary was still more of a t-shirt, jeans and chucks kind of girl but since she had to be professional for work and had to be at the conference shortly after dinner, she had come dressed in the outfit she would wear there.

What Aline didn't realize was that there could never be anything between her and Jace. Even if she didn't know of their sordid past yet, she was sure the woman would know eventually and Clary could never take someone back who cheated on her, regardless of whether she forgave him or not. And with the way that Jace threw away their relationship, she doubted that's what he wanted anyway. Aline, had nothing to worry about.

—

"Elizabeth, two more plates for dinner please," Robert hollered so as to be heard in the kitchen. She appeared moments later with place settings on the other side of the table. Jace sat directly across from her and couldn't help stealing glances. She'd been wearing a gray bodycon dress that hugged all the curves that he missed so much. Fuck, she looked amazing.

When she hugged him and he took in her special scent, just like cherry blossoms, he didn't want to let go of her. She was a little older but damn, she was more beautiful than Jace remembered and he could feel that familiar change in the air that always accompanied her presence.

He was hating himself for bringing Aline with him. Seeing Clary for the first time in over 8 years was bringing up all kinds of feelings that he had no idea how to sort out and nowhere near enough time to do it in. He scolded himself internally for even having those thoughts. Aline was his girlfriend. She'd been devoted to him for a year and a half and she deserved more consideration than that. He shouldn't be regretting having her there, he should be happy that she accompanied him so that he could stay grounded and not get lost in everything that was Clary.

He'd fantasized about what it would be like to get her in the same room with him after all the years they'd been apart. And he knew he could've gone out to visit Alec and Magnus to easily run into her but he couldn't make himself do it. He didn't doubt she followed her dream of becoming a doctor but she was probably a completely different person now and he knew she had a whole different life. She could be married or in a serious relationship…the thought of that made Jace severely uncomfortable.

He'd purposely avoided all talk of her over the years and his family respected his wishes and refrained from bringing her up in his presence. Hearing about how much his family loved her was just too much. Even though they tolerated Aline, she would never hold the same status within their family. His monthly phone calls with Alec were always devoid of conversation about her but sometimes he would swear he could hear her laughter in the background and he'd have to immediately get off the phone to calm down his racing heart.

Jace's family politely greeted Aline and they all enjoyed the amazing dinner prepared by Elizabeth. They asked what had prompted Jace's impromptu trip home and he cited his being in the area and a phone call from Max as his reasons for stopping by for dinner. Max at least had the sense to look sheepish as he looked at Clary but she knew what his game was. Jace had been shooting brief looks at Clary all throughout their meal and as Clary looked at him inquisitively, he couldn't hold it in any longer. He had to satisfy at least a little of his curiosity.

"So, Clary, what have you been up to? What have you been doing since college?"

"Oh, a little of this and a little of that. I've kept busy over the years," Clary said, smiling. "But I hear great things about you and SMF Inc. You have some amazingly famous clientele and your company just moved up to 16th most valuable in the Fortune 500 if I'm not mistaken. Congratulations! I always knew you'd be big. You've always been incredibly bright, driven and had such a way with people. I'm so proud of you for following your dream, Jace."

Jace couldn't believe that she had actually kept up on what was going on in his life. Considering the way things had ended, he kinda thought she would just stay pissed at him forever and really who could blame her. He realized long ago that his original pipe dream of her waiting for him was ridiculous and had given up on that completely about 3 years after their breakup. He still wasn't ready to stop the lifestyle that he had become accustomed to with Sebastian at that point and he didn't think she'd be waiting by the phone for him to call. He tried to wipe the shocked look off his face and smiled at her, genuinely.

"Thanks, Clary. That means a lot coming from you." Their eyes locked across the table for a moment before Clary broke the hold they seemed to temporarily have over each other.

"Anyway, thanks so much for dinner. I have to get to my conference. It starts in an hour and if I don't leave now, the traffic will make me late." Clary picked up her blazer and put it on before disappearing to put her plate away and grab her bag. "I'll hopefully be back around 9."

After Clary left, everyone helped to clean up and retired to the living room to watch a movie. Aline wanted to leave but Jace persuaded her to stay, citing the fact that he didn't get enough time to spend with his family and on the surface, that may have been the truth but Jace also wanted to talk to Clary some more. It was so strange to have her within his grasp after all this time and all he wanted was to be around her.

He became so anxious, just waiting for 9 o'clock to come around that he kept making frequent trips to the bar for glasses of whiskey. He was on his third when Izzy joined him, seemingly to make her own drink.

"What's going on with you, Jace? You're all antsy and have been acting weird since you got here. Is this about Clary?" Izzy, always the intuitive one.

"Of course it's about Clary," Jace whisper shouted. "Fuck, I missed her, Iz. I know we don't know each other anymore but that same electrical charge was in the air the moment I laid eyes on her. I…shit…she-" Izzy cut him off.

"No, Jace. You don't get to do this. You broke that girl's heart and I won't allow you to do that to the amazing woman she's become. And you're right, you don't know a damn thing about who she is now. She's amazing." She began to tell Jace all about her career as an independent Forensic Investigator, the books she'd written and the various charities and scholarship programs she'd started up. She told him about the volunteer work and how she took care of Gracie for Alec and Magnus. Then Izzy told him about the hard stuff. She told him about how devastated she was when her parents died and how the whole family had spent a week camped on the living room floor with her to let her know that she still had people in her corner. She told him about how she found it hard to trust people because she didn't trust in herself to accurately decipher the intentions of others and none of her relationships had lasted for any amount of time worth mentioning. Just from Izzy's tone, Jace sensed a big 'but' coming at the end. "But Clary has been dating the Chief Medical Examiner for the NYC OCME for the past 6 months. It's the longest relationship she's had since you decided to be an idiot and cheat on the best woman that ever came into your life, current company included," she said, glancing at Aline where she was sitting on the couch, engrossed in the movie.

Jace felt a loss that he knew he had no right to feel. He and Clary had been over for a long time. Aline put up with a lot of shit with him, even though he was resistant to a lot of things and she was probably expecting some kind of proposal by now but he couldn't. He didn't want that or he didn't want that with her. He still wasn't sure which.

After his excessive drinking, and how tired Aline was, they were persuaded by his parents to stay the night. The fact that he would once again, be sleeping under the same roof as Clary set him on edge and no amount of alcohol could've put him to sleep. She had called around 8:45pm to let his family know that she would be out later than originally planned. She had been invited out by some of the other doctor's at the conference. Jace was lying in bed with a sleeping Aline next to him, just staring up at the ceiling and listening for any sounds that could be someone creeping through the house

It was close to midnight when he finally heard the front door open. He figured it was as good a time as any and he didn't know if he'd ever get another chance to speak with her like this again. He got up, threw on some flannel pajama pants and walked into the hallway. There she was, padding down the hallway, shoes in hand, with her hair down and wild and her face flushed. Fuck she was so damn beautiful. Maybe this wasn't the brightest idea he'd ever had but she'd spotted him so it was too late to turn back now.

"Oh, Jace. I'm sorry, I didn't wake you, did I? I was trying to be quiet."

"No, I was already awake." He stared at her, trying to talk himself out of wanting to kiss her but he couldn't help his baser impulses even if he knew they were wrong. He knew there was one thing he did need to give her and it was long overdue. "Listen, Clary, I really want to apologize for how things ended between us. I was an asshole back then. I had no idea what I wanted when it came to relationships and I know I handled it completely wrong. I ho-" She cut him off before he could finish.

"Do you now?" He looked at her questioningly. "Know what you want…when it comes to relationships." Jace knew exactly what he wanted to say but telling the woman you've probably loved since the day you met her that you were still in love with her while she had a boyfriend and you had another woman lying in your bed definitely was not the brightest idea. Especially when your relationship with that woman seemingly ended over cheating, among other things. So Jace endeavored to be as honest as possible without providing that vital piece of information that he desperately wanted to include but didn't.

"Yes."

"I'm glad you figured it out. Sounds like Peter Pan finally grew up," she giggled. God, he loved that sound. "I'm happy for you but I forgave you a long time ago. It never did me any good to be mad at you. We were friends who made a stupid mistake by deciding to get involved with each other." She sighed before continuing. "The point is, you're happy…and I'm happy. I don't know if I would've ended up where I am today if things didn't turn out the way they did between us so there really isn't anything to apologize for. It gave me the push I needed to really work on me. I do appreciate the sentiment though." She leaned up and kissed him, softly on the cheek. "It was nice to see you, Jace. I don't imagine I'll see you again before I leave since I have to be at the airport in 5 hours but I sincerely hope you have a wonderful life. You deserve it." Clary stepped around Jace and continued to her room, while Jace was left standing in the hallway, holding his hand over the place on his face where her lips had just been.

He had no idea what the hell he was thinking the first time when he let her walk out of his life but he knew damn well that there was no way he could let her do it again.


End file.
